Report I2016-1 Recommendation 7 Responses

Report I2016-1: Investigations of Improper Activities by State Agencies and Employees: Misuse of State Resources, Forgery, False Time Reporting, Financial Interests Disclosure Violations, and Waste of State Funds (Release Date: February 2016)

Case Number I2014-1576

Recommendation #7 To: Water Resources, Department of

Water Resources should amend the training request form and the training plan form to require that approving officials include written justification for the selected training category.

Agency Response From April 2017

Water Resources reported that it revised its training plan form to require the training office chief's approval when college-level courses are listed on the plan. In addition, Water Resources stated it amended its training request form to indicate that supervisors should provide justification for specific training categories when necessary.

California State Auditor's Assessment of Status:
Fully Implemented

Agency Response From December 2016

Water Resources revised its training request and training plan forms. However, we notified Water Resources that the revisions do not accomplish the purpose of the recommendation since supervisors still would not be required to justify a job-required or job-related category selection so long as "the class aligns with the employee's duty statement." In addition, the new justification section on the training request does not require a justification for the career-related or upward mobility categories. Lastly, Water Resources' revision of the training plan did not include an area to justify the training category selection at all.

Water Resources responded to our concerns and indicated that it is an internal business decision whether to create or revise its forms. Regardless, Water Resources stated that it is moving forward with the purchase of an online learning management system (LMS), and until that time, it will continue to use the recently revised forms. Water Resources also stated that it will review all training processes and procedures as it configures the LMS and will keep our recommendation in mind as it creates the new training module.